New Looks, New Attitudes
by sunshine-in-writing
Summary: Hermione's cousin comes to cheer her up over the summer because Harry and Ron are off somewhere. When she returns to school for her last year, heads turn. And some do more than turn.
1. Chapter 1

**Okidoky everybody, this is an interesting little story. Everything in OotP stands, and everything in HBP stands if you cut out the last like three chapters and just think that Hermione's been going out with Viktor Krum for a year. Keep that mindset and you might not get confused.**

**Lara

* * *

**

Hermione woke up early that morning, hearing a rapping sound. She got up slowly, recognizing the owl that was tapping at her window, and opened the glass to let it in. She took the letter it held out to her and read:

_Dear Hermione,_

_I am very sorry. I don't know what I was thinking and didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Please forgive me?_

_Viktor_

Hermione finished the letter, and then stared out the window. A slow tear trickled down her cheek. Forgive him? How the _hell_ could she do that?

_She had gone to Bulgaria for a surprise visit to her boyfriend Viktor Krum. _

_Her aunt and uncle had been visiting on business, and they had kindly let her use their jet to avoid airfare. _

_When she arrived she went first to the mall to buy an anniversary gift for Viktor, and she decided to go to the jewelry shop to buy him a silver watch. Across from the jewelry shop was a coffee shop, where she saw Viktor sitting with a girl. She didn't mind at all because she remembered Viktor owling her that he needed to tour his cousin around Bulgaria because she lived in Austria._

_One hour later, she arrived at Viktor's apartment and went straight to his bedroom to surprise him. Sadly she was the one surprised, and not in a good way. Viktor was in bed with the same girl she had seen in the mall. _

_He was cheating on her. He had been cheating on her. _

_He looked up and saw her in the doorway, and he looked horrified. She was so mad that she threw the gift onto his chest and said, "Happy anniversary…and we're through." She got into a taxi and went straight home. _

_The tears didn't come until she was on the plane._

When Hermione heard a knock on the door she quickly wiped her eyes. "Yes?" she said, and the door opened. It was her mom, bringing her breakfast in bed.

"Mione, here's your breakfast."

"Thanks mom, but I'm not hungry."

"You're still not eating? Mione!"

"I'm just not hungry, mom."

When her mother had left, Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, and wrote simply,

_No._

She folded it up and opened the door to her owl's cage. He clamped it in his beak and stepped onto her arm, and she brought him over to the window. "Give that to Victor, please, sweetheart," she said, ruffling his feathers slightly. He hooted comfortingly and took off, vanishing silently into the morning. Hermione watched him go, and not one tear fell from her eyes.

* * *

"Hi Auntie! Nice to see you…where's Hermione?" Jessa, Hermione's cousin, said, smiling as Mrs. Granger opened the door.

"Hi Jessa, she's in her room," Mrs. Granger replied. "And I really hope you can cheer her up. She's been mopey for weeks."

"I'll do my best." Jessa went up the stairs and opened the door to her cousin's room quietly. Hermione was lying on her bed with her eyes closed.

"Hi, Mione!" Jessa said very loudly, and Hermione's eyes flew open.

"Oh! Hi Jessa … why are you here?" Hermione said, puzzled.

"Your mom told me that you need someone to cheer you up, and she told me that your best friends are in Spain. So I guess it's up to me now. Which is really good, because all my parents want to do is talk about business and I have been bored out of my mind." She looked around interestedly. "Okay. Here's my first suggestion. Why don't we go shopping?" Jessa said.

"Umm…okay, I guess," Hermione said, getting off her bed. Jessa stopped her.

"Tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll pay for everything."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks!"

* * *

The next day Jessa and Hermione went around London shopping for new clothes, accessories and makeup. Jessa was, essentially, a clotheshorse. She figured out what exactly would look best on Hermione in about five minutes, and then all of her selections were of that type. The same thing happened with shoes, and then makeup. They shopped for the whole day, and had a blast. Hermione was actually smiling for the first time since the breakup.

The day after that they went to a salon for a makeover. Hermione's hair was cut and streaked at Jessa's direction. The streaks were blond and red-gold, and really all they had done was bleached her hair. Her hair was now layered, framing her face with shorter strands in the front. It looked amazing. It had lost much of its frizziness over the years and was now still very curly, but not frizzy. After Jessa was satisfied, they had their nails done, and then they went to the spa for a massage.

As they were walking down a street talking, somebody bumped into Hermione, knocking several of her things down.

"Sorry, miss," the person said politely.

Hermione sighed and knelt to pick up her things. When she looked up at the man's face, she got a huge shock.

It was Draco Malfoy. Without saying anything, she picked up the rest of her things and walked away as fast as she could, hoping that he hadn't recognized her.

_Was that really Draco? I mean he looked pretty hot there, _Hermione thought.

_What the hell are you thinking, Hermione? It's Draco Malfoy, your worst enemy. You just called him hot! _Another voice in her head said.

"Who was that?" Jessa said interestedly. "It seemed like you knew him."

"Yeah, I do," Hermione said shortly. "He goes to my school."

Jessa whistled. "Lucky you! He was pretty damn attractive."

"Yeah, I guess so," Hermione said. She'd never thought of him that way, but Jessa was right.

"Do you have any classes with him?" Jessa asked curiously.

"Actually, quite a few," Hermione said. "Usually we don't talk very much."

"Well, maybe you should start!" Jess said, laughing. "I can't believe you have someone like that in your classes and don't even talk to him!"

"Well, he didn't always look that good," Hermione protested. "I think it's a new thing this year."

"_Well, _start to get to know him!" Jessa said insistently.

"Maybe I will."

* * *

"Bye, Mione. I really had a great time with you," Jessa said at the door as she was leaving a week later. School was starting soon, and she needed to go back to the U.S.A.

Hermione wasn't sure if her cousin knew about her magic, but really couldn't risk it, and Jessa had spoken of going school shopping with her. Not only had she already gotten her things, but Jess would flip if she saw Diagon Alley. Hermione's mom had talked to Jessa's parents, who did know, and they had said that they had to go back to the U.S. So now Jessa was leaving.

"Me too. Hope to see you soon. Thanks for everything," Hermione said, smiling and hugging her cousin. "And you know what I mean," she said significantly. Jessa had been her confidant, and Hermione had told her everything about Viktor and cried again. Jessa had hugged her and they had had girl talks all week long.

"No problem," Jessa said, hugging her back.

* * *

**Soooooooooo... Good, bad, okay? Not all of this story's mine, I must admit; some of it I got from other authors, so if you've read those stories, I am now giving credit where it's due! I hope to update soon. Cheers!**

**Lara**


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione woke up very early on the first day of school. She took a shower, combed out her hair, and wore a fitted black shirt and styled jeans. After she was satisfied with her appearance, she went downstairs to hurry up her parents.

As usual when Hermione arrived at Platform 9¾ she looked for her best friends first.

There! She saw them in a compartment and ran over to say hi.

"Hey guys!" she said, smiling widely. She hadn't seen them all summer, but they didn't seem to have changed at all. Neither had Ginny, who was sitting with them.

"Um, who are you?" Ron said, staring at her, just like Harry and Ginny were.

"Mione! You look great!" Ginny said delightedly, jumping up and giving her a hug. "I almost didn't recognize you!"

"Thanks," Hermione said, laughing. "I don't look _that_ different, do I?"

"Well, you definitely look different," Harry said, standing up to give her his own hug. Hermione bent down to give Ron one, as well.

"Thanks. My cousin and I went shopping and she gave me a makeover," she said, twirling so they could get the full effect of her outfit. She stopped as a thought occurred to her. "Oh, yeah! I broke up with Viktor over the summer. Thought you might want to know."

"Why?" the three of them asked together, surprised.

"He cheated on me," Hermione said, shrugging. It didn't bother her nearly as much anymore.

"Ouch," Ginny said sympathetically.

"Yeah, well, if I never see him again I'll be happy," Hermione said, slinging her book bag onto the floor. "It wasn't working anyway." Turning to her two friends, she asked, "So, how was your summer?"

"Wait," Harry said, frowning. "Shouldn't you be in Head's compartment?"

"Why would I be in the Head's compartment?" Hermione asked him, caught off-guard for a moment.

"Well, aren't you Head Girl?"

Hermione laughed. "No, I'm not," she said. The boys stared at her, and she smiled. "I was asked to be Head Girl by Dumbledore, but I turned him down. I don't want extra responsibility."

"Okay, I was just wondering before, but now I know," Ron said. "Who brainwashed you, Hermione?"

"Ron, nobody brainwashed me!" Hermione said, laughing. "I just didn't want extra responsibility. I would have to sleep separate from the Gryffindors, hold up school rules all the time, stuff like that. I couldn't get in trouble with you guys, and it's our last year. I want to have fun." She blushed slightly. "But do either of you know who they are? Are you Head Boy, Ron?"

"Nope, I'm not," Ron said. "I wonder who it is."

"Yeah, me too," Hermione said.

After a few minutes talking Hermione left to walk around for a little bit. Thinking, she walked up the corridor. Not watching where she was going, she ran into somebody. "Sorry, miss," said a voice that she recognized, and she looked up with a sigh.

"Malfoy," she said. He looked down at her, startled. He looked just as good as he had over the summer. The only change that she could see from their encounter over the summer was..."Oh dear god, please tell me that you're not Head Boy," she pleaded, the badge that _she_ could have worn twinkling on his chest.

"No such luck," he said, still staring at her. "I _am_ Head boy."

* * *

_Jesus! It's the girl I saw in London! But isn't that Granger? Man, she looks different. I didn't recognize her. _

_But that would mean that she's the one I ran into and thought was hot._

He was distracted from his thoughts as she turned around to go back the way she came, revealing a cute butt shown off to perfection in her form-fitting jeans.

_Whoa,_ he thought admiringly. _Check that out._ Then he shook himself mentally. _What the hell are you doing? That's Granger, remember? The mudblood, the school geek, the one you hate. And she's not Head Girl? That surprises me. But if she was, that would mean I'd have to share sleeping quarters with her._

_I wouldn't mind sharing sleeping quarters with that,_ said the little voice that had admired her ass and thought she was hot. She turned back around suddenly and said jerkily, "Congratulations." She turned back around and headed down the corridor.

"Wait," Draco said, and he saw her back tense before she turned to face him again. "Aren't you Head Girl?"

She smiled thinly and shook her head. "Dumbledore asked me, but I said no. It's my last year, and I want to have fun." And on that interesting note, she left.

Draco stood there for a moment, and then drifted back towards the Head's compartment. Getting his own badge was an amazing surprise, especially after what had happened at the top of the Astronomy tower last spring. Granted, he hadn't killed Dumbledore, but it had been a pretty near thing. Now he was disowned, his father most likely after his blood, and a Dark Mark tattooed into his flesh that burned periodically now. Voldemort was gathering his Death Eaters more often. It was a mark of Dumbledore's trust in him that he had given him this badge.

At the end of the journey Draco slowly gathered his things together and headed out into the corridors. That was a bad idea. He literally couldn't move, there were so many people in the corridor. Finally the press started to lessen up, and he began heading toward the general direction of the carriages. He walked much slower than the rest of the school, with the result that when he reached the carriages only one was left empty.

This wouldn't have been such a bad thing if Granger hadn't also been left seatless. She stood among the thinning crowd, searching for Weasley and Potter. Finally giving up, she arrived at the last carriage at the same time Draco did. Both of them drew up short when they saw who they would have to share a carriage with.

"Oh, no," Draco said, shaking his head and hoisting his bag up higher. "I will _not_ share a carriage with you."

"Well, you know what, Malfoy? I feel the same way," she replied, looking around for another place to sit. Seeing none, she sighed and entered the carriage. "Well?" she said, irritated, when he didn't move. "It's either get in or walk. Take your pick."

Draco slowly entered the carriage, swearing silently as he saw that it was even smaller than the normal ones. He sat across from her, trying not to touch her if not absolutely necessary. He was very aware that she looked very different -_better_- than usual.

* * *

Hermione was relatively content. She had had a fun trip. This, though - this was a little different. She had enjoyed the fact that almost all of the boys had stared at her on the way to the carriages, and Draco had been affected too, she thought. But this carriage was pretty small. Not small enough to feel uncomfortable, but still closer than she wanted to be with Draco just yet.

Or ever, for that matter.

She held on as they started moving. She had always hated this road. It was very bumpy.

They didn't talk much on the way up. A particularly bad bump in the road caused an unprepared Hermione to tumble into Draco. He caught her, and by the time Hermione realized what had happened, she found herself in his lap, his arms around her waist and hers on his shoulders, their faces barely inches from each other. His eyes caught and held hers.

_I never noticed how gray they are,_ she thought dizzily, staring. They were like quicksilver, changing constantly. Realizing exactly where she was, she froze. His eyes were still staring at her. They were both wondering what was going to happen next.

Finally he gently pushed her back to her seat, his large hands sliding over her waist sending an electric shock through her body. "Thank you," she said cautiously.

His face was unreadable as he replied, "You're welcome." Wondering what he thought about what he'd just done, Hermione looked back out the window.

When they arrived in front of the castle Hermione exited first and walked quickly up to the castle, her mind disturbed by the feelings she had had when she had ended up in Draco's lap. She glanced to the side and was mildly surprised to see Draco keeping pace with her a few feet away. He pulled ahead slightly in the press of children, and she took the opportunity to admire his profile and the way his muscles rippled as he walked.

When had he gotten so attractive? Is this a new thing over the summer, or had she just never noticed before? He turned his head and his face came into profile. She was captivated by the look in his gray eyes, lonely and imperious, not expecting sympathy from anyone. His face was, as always, nearly impossible to read.

_What happened to him after last year?_ She thought suddenly. _He couldn't have gone home. Harry said that Dumbledore promised him protection. Was he taken somewhere? Somewhere where the Death Eaters couldn't find him? Maybe he went to Grimmauld Place. We didn't go there all summer. I bet that's where he went._

_If he did, I bet he got little sympathy from the Order. No wonder he looks like he's alone in the world. His family disowned him, Death Eaters out for his blood, and just because Dumbledore promised him shelter doesn't mean everyone else would be happy about it._

They entered the entrance hall, everyone chattering at the tops of their lungs. Hermione watched Pansy Parkinson slide up to Draco, take his arm, and whisper in his ear. Suppressing a feeling of irrational protection, she watched Draco shake his head and remove his arm.

"Hermione!" someone said, and Hermione jumped slightly as Harry and Ron struggled up next to her. "Where did you go?" Ron continued. "We couldn't find you."

"Oh, I got separated from you and had to go in a different compartment," Hermione said, dragging her mind away from the puzzle that was Draco Malfoy.

"Who was with you?" Harry asked as they entered the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table.

Hermione winced. She'd hoped to avoid this.

Oh, well. "Malfoy," she said, and waited for the bomb to fall.

It was not long in coming. _"Malfoy?"_ Harry and Ron said together loudly. Hermione shushed them. "What did you do? Did he try anything? Cause if he did I'll-" Ron continued, half-rising toward the Slytherin table.

Hermione dragged him back down. "No, Ron, he didn't do anything, don't worry," she said, keeping him in his seat. "No, we didn't talk for the entire journey and we didn't touch once, I swear." A lie, but a needed one. If Ron found out that Hermione had ended up in Draco's lap with his hands around her waisthe would probably explode.

He settled down as Professor McGonagall entered with the first years. Glad to have something to think about, Hermione turned her attention to the front of the room. She didn't notice the glances that the boys were giving her, wondering about her new appearance. Her gaze kept on sliding toward the Slytherin table, but never stayed there. _Why are you looking at him so much? It's not as if you like him,_ an inner voice chided as she tried to focus on Dumbledore as he rose to start the feast.

_What would Hogwarts be without him?_ She couldn't even imagine. The boy two tables over had nearly taken him from them. _He hadn't. _

_But what if he had?_ She shook her head angrily. Thinking like that made her head hurt.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day was - interesting. Every single period in between classes, Hermione had boys come up to her and say hi, ask for help on homework, or something like that. Heads turned as she walked past with Harry and Ron. Neither of the boys noticed, but she did. Whenever she saw Draco in the halls he always looked at her and then away.

Not sure if this was a good thing, she looked down at her feet, hoping that people would take the message and not talk to her. Unfortunately, for the third time this year she ran into someone. "Sorry," they said disinterestedly. Hermione sighed. What would a day be without her running into Draco Malfoy? She bent and started to pick up her dropped things, only to find, to her astonishment, Draco already there gathering up her things from being crushed by the people passing.

"Thank you," she said, helping him gather up the last few books. She stood up and rearranged her things comfortably. Draco was still holding a book, and it looked like one of hers.

"What's this?" he asked, tapping the cover. She looked at the cover and swore in her head.

_Shit! Shit, shit, shit! _"Nothing," she said aloud, trying to grab it from his hand.

"It's not a schoolbook," Draco said, not letting it go. The front cover featured a picture of a girl with the shadow of a wolf around her face, and the words _Blood and Chocolate_ as the title.

She looked at his face and sighed. "You're right, it's not. It's a muggle book about werewolves. It's not that far off on some things, and then way off on others. It's really good." Her eyes sparkled with humor. "You know, we're actually having a decent conversation."

He smiled hesitantly and let go. She slipped it into her bag and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you around," and hurried off down the corridor, wondering about their conversation.

* * *

Draco sighed and turned away from Hermione's retreating back. He didn't know why he kept on running into her all over school. He walked alone down the corridors, thinking about it. She was just about the only person besides the Slytherins who actually talked to him on an almost regular basis.

As he walked, he ignored the slight open space that opened up around him and closed behind him. They'd been doing that all day, and if he wasn't quite used to it yet, at least he could ignore it. Even the Slytherins were a little afraid of him because of what he had done. Thankful that the one useful thing that his father had taught him was to control his face and body, Draco's exterior gave no indication of his thoughts.

He arrived at his Defense against the Dark Arts classroom early, leaning up against the wall as the other students began to gather. Once again he sat alone, at the back of the classroom. The Slytherins sat around him, but hardly anyone talked to him. Not surprised, Draco ignored it and got out his book.

* * *

"Wait. You're not serious, are you?" Draco said, not quite believing -not wanting to believe- what he had just heard.

"When have I ever been anything but serious, Mr. Malfoy?" asked Professor Lupin, their newly returned Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. He sighed, and smiled. "I know this isn't your idea of fun, but I didn't come up with this plan. Professor Dumbledore wants this, not me." He stood up. "He expects that you two will not let anything get in the way of this assignment, and that you two will cooperate with each other." He turned and left the library quietly, just like the way he came, bringing most unwelcome news to the two of them. And on Saturday too. _Dammit._

Draco sighed and turned to face his new partner. She was looking at him too. "Well, this is great," she said, frustrated, running a hand through her hair. "I wonder if he did this on purpose, putting total enemies together and forcing them to work together for a year."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Draco said, swinging his feet up onto the seat next to him and leaning back against the wall in the library. Hermione sighed in annoyance and pulled her bag over to her, extracting -what a surprise- a book. It was titled _Horcruxes: A Study._

"I had to search for a long time to find a book that even mentions these things," she said. "I was extremely lucky to find an entire book on them."

"Okay, that's very interesting, but what exactly does Dumbledore want us to do?" Draco said.

Hermione sighed in annoyance again and said, "Weren't you listening at all? Never mind. I don't want to know. We have been partnered together so that we can figure out where the other Horcruxes are. He thinks that because of your Mark, which is directly linked to the Dark Lord, you may have an instinctive feeling of where the Horcruxes might be, because in essence they are a part of him. He wants me to work with you because I have the best researching skills of anyone in this school. Professor Lupin told us because we can ask him for help in finding anything we need, passes for the books that not even seventh years are allowed into, things like that." She smiled mischievously. "You actually listened to me talk for at least a minute without interrupting once with a snide remark."

"If we're going to work together this year, we have to be able to talk to each other," Draco pointed out, to himself as much as to her. The part of him that had been run by his father was horrified that he was actually considering getting along with a mudblood, but another -quite large- part of him reasoned, _I'm seventeen now and on the run from my own family. My parents can't tell me what to do. And she _is_ incredibly attractive._

Several hours later, they had had several half-decent conversations (both of them trying to be polite and succeeding most of the time, but not all of the time) and the bell rang for dinner. Hermione stood up with a sigh, put her book back in her bag, and extracted her robe. To Draco's surprise, she just slipped it on over her other clothes instead of changing entirely into her robes. She left it unfastened in front so that people could see her clothing and grabbed her bag. At least she didn't carry a purse. Her book bag seemed to be her carry-around bag of choice.

She turned to face Draco, who had copied her and just put on his outer robe. "Are you ready to go?" she asked. He nodded, and they left the library together. The corridors were packed with students heading towards the Great Hall, laughing and talking together. Most of the older boys stared at Hermione as she walked by, and she smiled faintly. Some said hi, most probably wondering why she was walking with Draco Malfoy. As they headed toward the Great Hall, Draco suddenly stopped and hissed in pain, clutching his upper arm.

His Dark Mark was burning again. Hermione stopped next to him and said, "What is it?" When she touched his left arm in understanding he winced away. Undaunted, she pulled his sleeve up to expose the mark, which was writhing slightly. "Can I do anything about it?" she said, concerned, ignoring the people who were muttering all around them but shifting slightly so that she was blocking anybody's view.

Draco shook his head and smiled tightly. "It'll be over soon." A few seconds later he relaxed and sighed in relief. It hurt more now, now that he wasn't answering it.

He straightened up and started walking again, people giving him funny looks but others whispering knowingly to their neighbors, who stared. Draco gritted his teeth and ignored it. He knew what they were saying. The news that he had nearly killed Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower was all over the school, most of the rumors wildly exaggerated.

* * *

Hermione serenely ignored the comments about her walking with Draco, most of them made by boys who didn't realize how good her hearing was. She wouldn't leave him alone if Dumbledore himself told her to. He had no friends. None. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be his friend, but the look she had seen in his eyes before he had covered it made her determined never to let him face the hatred alone.

They entered the Great Hall together and separated, heads turning as she walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Ginny, ignoring the astonished and outraged looks thrown her way by Harry and Ron.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny said, spooning casserole onto her plate. "Are you going to tell me why you walked in here with Draco Malfoy?"

"Oh, I get it," Hermione said, laughing. "I tell you and you let the rest of the school know, is that it?"

"Something like that," Ginny said, shrugging and unashamed. "So are you going to tell me?"

"It's no secret," Hermione said, beginning to eat hungrily. "And it's not very interesting either. Dumbledore asked us to figure out the locations- well, he asked us to work on something for the Order," Hermione said, almost tripping over her words as she tried to avoid telling Ginny about the Horcruxes. "And we have to do it together." She grinned. "That enough for the gossip mills in this school?"

"How often do you have to work together?" Ginny asked, curious.

Hermione shrugged and thought about it. "I got the impression that he wants us to work on it as often as we can, so probably in all of our free time."

Ginny whistled, impressed. "You lucky bitch," she said enviously. "Spending all of your free time with that hot piece of-"

"All right, Ginny, you don't have to give me the details!" Hermione said hurriedly.

"-boy," Ginny finished smoothly.

"That was _not _what you were going to say," Hermione said accusingly. Ginny grinned and began eating again.


	4. Chapter 4

After she finished her dinner Hermione gritted her teeth and went over to the Slytherin table. "Malfoy, can I talk to you for a second?" The boys around him grinned lewdly, and Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed. She knew exactly what they were thinking about, and she had no qualms about telling them exactly where she stood on thoughts like that. "When you've all put your tongues back in your mouths and wiped the drool off your chins," she snapped, "I'd like to speak to you, Malfoy. Privately."

Malfoy snickered and stood up. "Fine, Granger. Just don't take up _too_ much of my time with whatever you have in mind."

She glared at him in fury, her cheeks reddening slightly. He smirked and walked toward the doors, snagging his bag as he went. She caught up quickly, and as soon as they were out of the hall she put a hand on his chest and slammed him against the wall.

"For future reference," she growled into his face, "I don't appreciate comments like that from anyone, and usually tell them so in a decisive and _lasting_ manner." She put her knee up into his crotch, and his eyes widened in shocked realization. She twisted away from him, putting a little distance between them, and when she was facing him again her face was perfectly composed and gave no sign that she had been talking about anything more interesting than the weather.

"Now," she said calmly, "I wanted to talk to you about the project we have to do together. Dumbledore wants to spend as much time on this as possible as well as be discreet about it, so that means that you can't tell anybody what we're working on."

Malfoy snorted and said, "Hard as it may be to imagine, Granger, I was perfectly capable of deducing that for myself."

She glared at him for interrupting her flow of thought. "Anyway, I've given the gossip mills in the school enough to go on for now, but it might not last for long-"

"What did you tell them?" he interrupted, worried at how much she had revealed. But Hermione Granger wouldn't tell the school that they were looking for pieces of Voldemort's soul when she had just cautioned _him_ not to...

"How stupid do you think I am?" she inquired acidly. "I told Ginny that Dumbledore asked us to work on a project together, that's all."

Malfoy breathed a silent sigh of relief. But that was dispelled with her next words. "He wants to spend as much time on this as possible, so I figure that that means he wants us to spend weekends working on this-"

"Wait," he interrupted again, and ignoring the exasperated look she gave him, "You mean spend my entire weekends with you? All the time?"

"No, you idiot," sighed Hermione. "Dumbledore's not _that_ stupid. Just do a little research, okay? And I suppose we can figure out a schedule that gives us enough breathing space away from each other."

"I also have Head duties," he reminded her.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Well, we'll have to work around those as well." Then she muttered under her breath what sounded like a swear word. "Who's the Head Girl?"

"The Ravenclaw Patil," Malfoy said indifferently.

"Okay," Hermione said, then sighed. "It would have been so much easier if I had just said yes to Dumbledore's offer. Then we would share rooms and this would be so much easier to pull off."

"Yeah, well, you decided to decline and have fun instead of take some real responsibility," Draco said. Hermione shot a look at him, but couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. "I don't blame you."

Just then the doors to the Great Hall opened wide and people began to pour out. "I can't believe they still treat you like that," Hermione said, glaring at two third-year girls who were staring and whispering at Malfoy, making them flush and scurry away. "I mean, you're Head Boy. Anything that happened last year was last year, and Dumbledore trusts you enough to give you that badge. That should be enough for the rest of the school, as well."

"Granger, I didn't know you cared," drawled Malfoy, as the crowd forced her closer in towards him.

"Yeah, well, don't get too used to it," she said, watching the swarms of kids pass them. "I'm not sure how long it's going to last."

* * *

A week later Ginny burst into the Gryffindor common room with wide eyes. "Hermione!" she yelled over the general din of the common room, pushing her way towards where Hermione was sitting in a corner doing homework. "Hermione, you'll never believe this! Padma Patil's no longer Head Girl!"

The common room became quiet, the people closest to her falling silent abruptly and staring at her in amazement, their neighbors slowly falling silent too. The silence spread outwards, like ripples, to the farthest corners of the room.

Hermione stood up slowly. "What did you say, Ginny?" she said, not even needing to raise her voice for Ginny to hear her, even though Ginny wasn't even halfway across the common room. "And more importantly, what does it have to do with me?"

"Padma Patil's no longer Head Girl," Ginny repeated, and the crowd stirred. "I don't know why; I was walking past Dumbledore's office when she came out looking all pale and odd, and I asked her what was wrong, and she said, 'you might as well get everyone talking about it right away. I went to Dumbledore and asked for him to give the Head Girl position to someone else. And I suppose you could tell her, because Dumbledore wants to know if Hermione will be Head Girl now, or if he should pick someone else again.' "

"What did he mean, again?" asked Seamus Finnigan sharply.

Hermione said, "He asked me to be Head Girl at the end of last year. I turned him down."

"Well, you're not going to turn him down now, are you?" Dean Thomas said from his spot by the fireplace.

Hermione smiled. "Well, if the Head Girl resigns and the first person he thinks of to take her place is the one who turned down the position before, I guess he really wants me as Head Girl." she walked toward the portrait hole, catching Ginny's arm as she went.

"Should I go to his office, Ginny?" she murmured as she exited the common room.

"Probably," Ginny said. "Want me to come?"

"Please."

It was a pretty quiet walk. They reached the stone gargoyle only to realize that neither of them knew the password. "Oh, this is great," Hermione moaned. Ginny, however, smiled and pulled the silk cord that she had found dangling down the gargoyle's back.

A moment later a voice easily recognizable as Dumbledore's emerged from the gargoyle's mouth. "Yes?"

"Professor Dumbledore? It's Hermione Granger," Hermione said, not saying anything about Ginny, because she took that from the furious hand gestures Ginny was making that Ginny didn't want to be mentioned.

"Ah, miss Granger. Please come in. The password is 'sugar quill.' "

She took a deep breath and said, "Sugar quill," to the statue, which sprang to life and moved aside. She glanced at Ginny, and then started up the moving staircase towards Dumbledore's office. When she reached the top, she took another deep breath and knocked.

"Come in, miss Granger," she heard Dumbledore say, and she pushed the door open to see him standing next to Fawkes' perch, stroking him absently. "Please, take a seat," he said, taking his own behind the desk. She sat gingerly, and waited for him to say something. "As you must know, our Head Girl has just resigned her position. The reasons for this are to remain confidential, by the wishes of Miss Patil. This means, of course, that we need a new Head Girl. I assume that that is why you are here."

She nodded. "Yes, sir. Ginny Weasley told me - well, told the common room, that Padma had resigned and that the person you wanted was me, even though I turned it down last year."

"And I also assume that your being here means that you have an answer for me?" he inquired, looking at her earnestly.

"Yes, I do," she said, and shifted slightly in her chair. "I want the position. It'll make working with Draco easier, and it - it just seems right, that's all. For me to have the position. Does that make sense?"

He smiled gently at her. "My dear, you will find that very few things in this world make complete sense when you first look at them. But yes, your answer does make sense to me. Now let's see-" he went over to the fireplace and tossed a pinch of powder into it. "Mister Malfoy, could I please speak to you for a moment?"

A minute later Malfoy appeared, spinning in the fireplace. He climbed out and brushed ash off his robes. "You wanted to see me, professor?" he glanced briefly at Hermione, and then snapped his gaze back to the headmaster.

"Yes. Miss Patil has resigned her position as Head Girl, and Miss Granger has kindly accepted it in her place. Will you please show her the Head's rooms and explain what her duties will be?"

Malfoy's gaze returned to Hermione, registering slight shock. "Ah, yes sir, I can do that. Anything else?"

"No," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "That will be all, thank you. Miss Granger, I suggest you move out of Gryffindor Tower tonight."

"Thank you, professor," Hermione said, getting up. "For giving me another chance." She flicked her eyes at Malfoy, who took it as the sign she meant and headed to the door. She smiled at the professor and followed him.

* * *

"The Head dorms are in one of the towers," Malfoy said, breaking the silence as they walked. "The password changes every two months."

"What are our duties?" Hermione asked.

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors together every other night from nine o'clock to eleven, and deduct points and hand out punishments as we see fit during the day." He glanced at her. "I hope you don't need that much sleep."

Hermione smiled thinly. "I get by fine on only a couple of hours."

"Well, that's good to know," he said, then fell silent. When they reached a portrait of the four Founders of Hogwarts, he said, "Dinas Emrys," and the portrait swung open to reveal a hole in the wall, much like the Gryffindor portrait hole. "The password is Irish," he explained as they entered. "I have no idea what it means. The Founders pick the passwords. I think they delight in picking obscure phrases from odd dialects that no one knows the meaning of."

"It means 'the city of Emrys,' " Hermione murmured.

Draco looked at her, surprised. Hermione smiled briefly, and then any thought of strange passwords flew out of her head as she entered the Head common room.

It was magnificent. The walls were an ice blue, with two deep bay windows with window seats cushioned in deep gold. There were two couches back-to-back in the center of the room, a fireplace in one wall, and large bookshelves taking up most of the other walls. A circular table was tucked away in a corner, somehow managing to be out of the way and still visible. Two staircases led up to two doors, one labeled _P.P._ in curling, elegant writing, the other proclaiming _D.M._

As they watched, the gold letters on the Head Girl's door began to shimmer, and then rearranged themselves to say _H.G._

"It's not too shabby," she said, her eyes crinkling in mirth. Malfoy shot a grin at her, then walked to one of the couches and flopped down.

"I suppose you'll want to check out your room, and then go get your stuff and tell the rest of your House the good news. We have patrol tonight, so if you have any homework due tomorrow I suggest you complete it before we head out."

Hermione gave him an amused look. "Draco Malfoy, I thought you knew me well enough to know that I never leave homework until the night before it's due."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Right, right, I forgot. The Bookworm must keep up her reputation, after all."

Hermione laughed. She was in too good a mood to be even a little annoyed by this. She had a wonderful new room, with a roommate that was...tolerable, and bookshelves full of books that she bet weren't in the ordinary sections of the library. She had no reason at all to complain.

She was unaware of the effect her laugh had on said roommate, an effect that he didn't want to think about. Combined with her new look, her attitude toward him, and the fact that very few people were talking to him, he desperately wanted to believe that she truly wanted to be his friend.

_God, this roommate thing is going to be harder to handle than I thought,_ he mused to himself as she vanished into her room. He soon shook himself out of his thoughts; _she_ may have finished all of her homework for weeks in advance, but he certainly hadn't, and he needed to get started.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here it is!!! Sorry about the long wait! I got a laptop so I had to transfer all of my stories onto it, and then I wasn't quite done writing...I know, excuses, excuses. But it's finally here!

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When Hermione went back to Gryffindor Tower to get her things, she was bombarded by questions. She simply said that she'd accepted the job and was now moving in before escaping up the stairs to her dorm to pack. It took her a very short time to throw all of her things into her trunk, and she was soon descending to the common room again.

Harry and Ron were waiting for her and beckoned her over. Curious, Hermione went over to them, her trunk following her obediently. "Hermione," Harry said quietly, "If Malfoy does anything to you - anything at all - I want you to tell us. Just because you're living together doesn't mean that he can do what he likes with you."

Hermione looked at him, surprised. "Harry, I'm muggleborn, remember? Just because he's been disowned by his family doesn't mean he'll want to get all chummy with me."

"That's not what we mean," Harry said, glancing at Ron. "We - well, we know how boys' minds work. If he tries _anything,_ tell us."

Hermione stared at him, and then she caught what he was trying to say and her mouth twitched. "Harry, you sweetheart. Trust me, if Malfoy tries to fuck me he'll be singing in a higher key _very_ quickly."

Harry winced. "Thank you for putting it so bluntly, Hermione. All right." He hugged her gently, and then stepped aside for Ron.

As she headed toward her new dorm, she reflected on how much her best friends cared about her. "Dinas Emrys," she said absently to the Founders, who smiled at her and swung open.

When she walked in, Draco was sitting cross-legged on the couch facing the fireplace, his homework floating in midair in front of him. She stopped, impressed. "How do you do that?" she asked. "How do you get it to stay in the air without constant wand pressure?"

He glanced at her and smiled. "It's a spell I invented. I took the idea from the levitation spell and just advanced it a bit farther. It's really useful when you don't have a table."

She raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to teach me." He nodded, going back to his paper, and she crossed the common room and entered her room.

It took her approximately ten minutes to put away her clothes and change into a pair of jeans and a camouflage long-sleeved shirt. She descended into the common room and began to browse the titles in the bookshelves.

Draco looked up from his Astronomy essay and watched her search for a book. She looked really good in those jeans, he reflected. She should wear them more often.

Hermione was completely unaware of his scrutiny, having ascertained that the books were, indeed, new to her. She pulled _A History of Dragons and the Means of their Existence_ off the wall and retreated to her room again to read until they had to leave for patrols.

She completely lost track of time. She lit her candles with a lazy flick of her wand when it got too dark to read, and just kept on going. When it was time for them to patrol, Draco came to her door to tell her that they had to leave.

"What?" She said, distracted, looking at him. Then she ran her eyes up and down his body appreciatively. He was wearing a pair of loose black cargo pants and a black hooded sweatshirt that emphasized his blond hair and gray eyes and did not hide the fact that he had filled out over the summer. "Oh, right," she said, sliding off her bed and putting on her shoes. "So, how do we do this?"

"The teachers patrol from the dungeons to the third floor, so we have to split up the fourth floor and do everything up into the towers. The prefects help, and we usually only have to do the towers. If you find fifth years and above out until nine thirty and they're clearly trying to get back to their common rooms, just give them a warning, but after that they're out on purpose," Draco said, leading the way out of their portrait hole.

"Seems pretty straightforward," Hermione said. "Do you want to take the astronomy tower and the east and south towers, or should I?"

"You can take those, they're closer," Draco said. "I'll take the west and north towers."

"See you at eleven, then," Hermione said, heading off.

"Right," muttered Draco, then turned away and began to walk toward his own specified area.

* * *

A few weeks later, after dinner, Hermione went for a walk before starting on her homework. She was really enjoying being Head Girl, more than she thought she would with Malfoy as a partner. Truth to tell, though, they didn't talk that much. Draco seemed naturally reticent now, and didn't bring up topics other than their project for the Order or Head business. Content with that, Hermione rarely broke the silence.

About to enter what she thought was a deserted corridor, she heard voices that she recognized and stopped. "I have no idea what the hell you're talking about," the cold, emotionless voice of Draco Malfoy carried easily to her ears.

"Don't play innocent, Malfoy," Harry's voice said cuttingly. "You walked into the Great Hall right next to her and spent the three hours before that with her in the library. You are spending _way _too much time with her, and don't try to tell me that you're working on Head business. Now what the hell are you doing with Hermione?"

"Absolutely nothing that concerns your friendship with her," Malfoy said dismissively. Hermione heard a crack of flesh on flesh and an angry snarl. She rounded the corner hurriedly to see Harry and Draco facing off, wands out and glaring death at each other. An angry red mark was becoming visible on Malfoy's pale cheek, and his eyes were so angry Hermione shivered from the end of the hallway.

"Harry, no!" she said loudly, running to them and placing herself in direct path of their wands. They glared at each other over her head, and she put a hand on each of their chests and pushed, forcing them even farther away. "Both of you just let it go. Harry, Dumbledore asked us to work on a project together for the Order. That's why we're together so much. Draco, just drop it."

"_Draco?"_ Harry hissed angrily. "So you two are on first name terms now, are you?"

Hermione cursed silently. "I said _drop it,_ Harry," she said, starting to get angry at the both of them. Why did boys fight over the most _trivial_ things? "Look, go back to the common room. I will talk to you there." She glared at him again, and he looked faintly surprised at the venom in her eyes. She grabbed Draco's arm and walked off down the corridor, forcibly separating them so that they didn't have a duel in the middle of the corridor.

* * *

As soon as they were back in the Head's rooms she dropped Malfoy's arm and walked away from him, silently cursing every single idiotic, macho, stuck-up, hormonal, testosterone-high teenage boy in existence.

"I can take care of myself," she heard from behind her, and whipped around to see Malfoy rubbing his arm and glaring at the back of the portrait as if he could still see the corridor where he had met Harry. He turned to glare at her. "I don't need your help."

"Fine," she said, at the end of her patience. "_Next_ time, I'll let you two fucking idiots go at it and get hexed until you both can't move, then get in fucking hot water for dueling in school, and in even more fucking trouble for doing magic in the corridors. _Next time_, I'll remember that boys can't stand being helped by girls and giving the impression that they aren't always on top of everything and actually need somebody else's help! No, god forbid that I, an ordinary, inferior girl, should get in the way of two fucking bastards who just need to prove that they're more macho than the other! _Next_ time I'll remember, so just _piss off, _Malfoy!"

By the end of her speech she was shouting at the top of her lungs, and when she was done she stared at Malfoy, breathing deeply, angry at everything. He just stood there, rubbing his arm absently and staring at her with a slight smile on his lips. "What?" she said, annoyed even by his silence.

"You swore," he said. "I do believe that's the first time I've ever seen you so angry that you start swearing."

"Well, don't have a heart attack," she said sarcastically, turning to go up to her room.

"A heart attack?" she heard from much closer behind her. "To the contrary." She felt an arm wrap around her waist and gasped. "You know, you're very cute when you're angry," he murmured in her ear. He spun her to face him and pressed her closer to his body. She could feel every muscle in his arms and chest pressed against her through his thin shirt, her hands on his chest, his face barely any distance from hers.

He grinned sexily, and what thought she had left came back slightly and she tried to push him away from her, but his arm tightened around her and drew her even closer to him. He pushed her against the wall, trapping her in between his arms. His mouth descended on hers demandingly, and all thoughts of getting away flew out of Hermione's head.

_...What am I doing?_ she thought dreamily._ I shouldn't be doing this. I hate him, right? Harry..._ Harry. That _bastard. _Just because they had a project together, he had to think that there was something else going on and ruin a perfectly good day.

Suddenly making a decision, she kissed him back fiercely, tangling her hands in his hair and drawing him even closer. There would probably be consequences later, but to hell with the consequences. She was determined to enjoy this, and by the looks of it, that wouldn't be too hard. His hands began to travel up and down the curves of her body slowly, eliciting a gasp from her.

Taking advantage of her open mouth, Draco slipped his tongue in, tracing her lips before entering deeper. She flipped him over so that his back was against the wall and began unbuttoning his shirt, her mouth trailing down his neck to his collarbone and leaving light bite marks in his skin. He gasped slightly, his hands trailing down her back and gripping her ass firmly.

She yanked the shirt out of his pants and threw it on the floor, running her hands over his chest. She resumed her place at his neck, sinking her teeth in almost enough to break the skin. Draco groaned, the vibrations reverberating through his chest and turning Hermione on even more. He yanked her head back up and attacked her mouth again, not bothering to be gentle. Hermione matched him easily in intensity, and his hands slid under her shirt.

They would have gotten much farther had not someone knocked at the portrait hole and yelled, "Hermione? I need to talk to you!"

"God_damn_ it!" Hermione whispered.

Draco grinned. "Swearing again, Granger."

"Oh shut up. And as much as I admire your chest, you'll have to put your shirt back on." Hermione slowly crossed to the portrait hole and opened it.

Ginny was standing outside. "Finally!" she said. Then her eyes widened. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing," Hermione said. "Malfoy and I were arguing, that's all."

"Well can I come in?" Ginny pleaded. "I really need to talk to you!"

Hermione sighed and stepped aside. Draco was sitting on a couch, reading a book. His shirt was still untucked and his hair was mussed, and he had a slight smile on his lips. "Let's go to my room," Hermione said. Ginny nodded and headed for her door, and Hermione let her go first, taking a slight detour.

"This isn't over," she breathed into Draco's ear, biting his earlobe gently. He looked up at her, startled, and watched her as she walked to her room and shut the door.

He smirked, turning back to his book. "It's far from over."

* * *

"All right," Hermione said, turning to Ginny, "What's so important?"

Ginny just looked at her, a smile on her lips. "What?" Hermione said, confused.

"Hermione Granger," Ginny said, sitting on the bed, "_You_ have been getting it on with Draco Malfoy. Is he as good as the rumors say?"

Hermione stared at her. _"How _did you know that?"

Ginny scoffed. "The fight was a good idea, but you should have fixed your appearance before you opened the portrait hole. Your hair was mussed, your lips were slightly swollen, you were flushed, and you were panting slightly." Then she became serious. "But that's not why I came. I really, really, really need your help!"

Hermione sighed, sitting cross-legged on the bed next to her. "This had better be good," she warned. "It was just getting interesting."

"It is, I promise," Ginny said. Then she sighed. "Well, I broke up with Dean again today. It's okay, I'm fine. I was looking for a reason to dump him and walked in on him hitting on another girl. But the problem is, I ran into Blaise Zabini on the way here. You know him?"

Hermione nodded. "He's Draco's best friend."

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, well, I think I've been falling for him for while now." Her voice dropped almost to a whisper and she looked up at Hermione through her hair, as though she was afraid she was going to yell at her.

Hermione just nodded.

"That's _it?" _Ginny exploded, getting up and beginning to pace. "That's all you do, nod? I've fallen for a hot, nice, sexy _Slytherin_ and all you do is nod! And not just any Slytherin, but the Slytherin whore! You know his reputation!"

Hermione smiled slightly. "Ginny, in case you forgot, I was just making out with a hot, nice, sexy Slytherin and enjoying it very much. Why should I care if you've fallen for his best friend, even with the reputation? I think it's great! And if you're here to see if I can help you hook up with him, of course I can." She smiled evilly. "It'll be easy."

"Oh boy!" Ginny said excitedly, bouncing on the bed happily. "I'm in. What are we doing?"

"Well," Hermione said, "Remember how I can sing? I mean really sing?" Ginny nodded impatiently. Hermione went on, "Remember the club we went to over the summer? They've asked me to sing next week. Draco has Blaise in here almost every evening, so I think we should do a little teasing. Spread it around that you broke up with Dean, then meet me here next Friday at... eight thirty, but be a little late, okay? Tomorrow's a Hogsmeade weekend, so we'll be able to buy the perfect outfits. You'll come with me to the club and the boys will see us in our -ahem- new attire." She grinned. "If we pick the right clothing, they'll go nuts."

Ginny stared at her in awe. "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?"

Hermione blushed. "Oh come on, Ginny, I spent the rest of the summer with you after my cousin left. You guys must have rubbed off on me. So, deal?"

"Hell yeah," Ginny said. "I can't wait until tomorrow."

"But you have to promise me that you won't get involved with him unless you know for sure that he isn't using you," Hermione said anxiously.

Giny sobered. "I promise. I don't plan on doing _anything_ without some confirmation that he actually is interested in more than my chest."

* * *

"How on earth did you find this place?" Ginny asked as they entered a store that was most definitely not a place for anyone under the age of 16.

Hermione smiled smugly. "I asked some of the locals. There's a girl here who's only twenty-something, and she told me about it."

"Can I help you?" asked a voice, and a man approached out of the back.

"We'd like to order some custom-made clothes, please," Hermione said. "You can have them done by Friday, can't you?"

"Of course," the man scoffed. "I can have them done by Wednesday, if I'm not busy."

"Wonderful," Hermione said.

"Please follow me," he said, and gestured them into the back. "Now, what kind of clothes are you looking for? I have photos here of the works I thought were the best, if you'd like to look at them."

The two girls spent several minutes perusing the items until each had picked out an outfit they would like modifications made to. "Right," Hermione said, and the owner of the shop appeared next to her.

"Ready?"

"I think so," she said, and showed him her choices. "I want some modifications made to these."

"Can I have you strip to your underwear and stand on this stool, please?" he gestured at a stool.

Hermione tugged off her shirt, revealing a silver bellybutton piercing. "Very nice," he said, grinning. Hermione smiled as she pulled off her pants and got up on the stool.

A small noise came from Ginny, and Hermione looked down at her with amusement. "He's gay, Ginny," she said. "He's not trying anything."

The manager laughed throatily. "You're just about the only girl who's actually noticed. The others always stare at me like I'm some kind of pervert when I ask them to strip, and I have to explain it to them."

"Well, one of my best friend's gay, or at _least_ bi, and he doesn't even realize it yet, so I know what to look for," Hermione said.

"Harry's bi?" Ginny asked. "That explains _so_ much." Then she was distracted by Hermione's bellybutton stud. "Oh, I _want_ one of those," she said in a voice of lust, pointing at it.

The manager laughed again. "I can do that for you, too, if you want," he offered.

"Sweet!" Ginny said, excited.

"Now, I expect you'll want to show off this," he traced the piercing gently, "So let me see your selections." He barely glanced at them before waving his wand, and Hermione was dressed in a deep blue long-sleeved shirt that barely covered her belly and dark blue jeans with a silver Celtic pattern worked over them.

Ginny whistled. "Very nice."

"Now, can we make the shirt a little shorter and wraparound?" Hermione asked. A flick of the wand and it was done. "And can the pants flare at the bottom a little more?" She studied the effect. "What do you think?" she asked. "We're planning on playing a trick on some friends of ours."

"Guy friends?" The man asked with an arched eyebrow.

Hermione laughed. "But of course."

"Well, the shirt should be a little tighter..." He moved around her, making minute adjustments, making the sleeves flare and lowering the collar into a vee that dipped in between her breasts without revealing anything. The pants he left as they were except for making them ride a little lower on her hips and conjuring up a silver belt made in Celtic designs similar to the pants. "How's that?" he asked, standing back to survey her critically.

Hermione was taken away by her own reflection. This was an outfit that she would keep for years and always feel absolutely comfortable wearing it. "Absolutely perfect," she declared. "Your turn, Gin."

She stepped down, and the man -who belatedly introduced himself as Jacob- froze her image in the mirror, moved it aside, and put a new one in place for Ginny.

The colors Ginny chose were green and gold. Her shirt, unlike Hermione's, was short in front _and_ back instead of being a wraparound, and was green with gold embroidery streaking over it in imitation of waves and fire. Jacob adjusted the embroidery slightly so that it swirled over the cloth on her chest, subtly drawing more attention to her "assets," but overall the shirt didn't need much adjustment.

Her pants were black and made out of a material neither recognized, and Jacob told them it was deerskin. The originals were plain black, but Ginny had him create gold patterns similar to the ones on the shirt travel down from high on her left hip, cross to her right leg, and swirl near the hem, creating an illusion of movement. The images of the new clothing were just that, images, and as soon as they were saved and Ginny stepped down and picked up her shirt they disappeared.

"So, do you want that bellybutton piercing?" Jacob asked, storing both mirrors in the back.

"Yes, I would," Ginny said, surprising herself with her daring.

"Do you want a stud like hers, or a ring? You could also get a chain to hang from it, diamonds on it, anything really."

"Ummmm...could I get a ring with tiny diamonds along it, and a short chain dangling from it?" Ginny asked, figuring that if she was going to do this she might as well make it look gorgeous.

"Here, look." Jacob pulled out a set of bellybutton studs and rings, some with stones, some with chains, some plain, some gold... He had nearly every variety in one shallow tray. "This one matches your description," he said, holding up a pretty ring. It did indeed match Ginny's description exactly.

"Oh," Hermione breathed, lifting out a stud with fiery emeralds sparkling from the middle part. "Can I buy this?"

Jacob laughed. "Of course you can. Ginny," he arched an eyebrow in question at her name, and she nodded, "Stand there." He opened a drawer and drew out a needle and, before Ginny could react, swiftly pierced her bellybutton. As she gasped at the pain, he drew out the needle and threaded the ring through it, the diamonds catching the light.

"The needle has a Healing charm on it, so that the piercing won't become infected," Jacob said, as Ginny gingerly touched the metal. Hermione could tell by her expression that the pain had suddenly disappeared. "It's entirely as it was. The flesh is completely healed. Right," he said, moving to the front, "Let's ring up your purchases."

The price wasn't nearly as bad as it would have been had they gone to London, and as soon as Hermione bought her new stud she exchanged it for her old one. They left the store with Jacob's promise that they would receive the clothing on Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.

"One of the things I love about the wizarding world," Hermione said as they left, "Is that things like tattoos and piercings don't take three weeks to heal."

"I am going to shop there almost exclusively," Ginny said fervently.

"Not a bad idea, though if your mum ever catches us wearing those clothes she will have many things to say to us, and none of them will be complementary. And if I were you I wouldn't let her know you have a belly piercing until you're of age."

"Right," Ginny said, shuddering. "I bet the lecture would be worse than any she ever gave the twins. Note to self: make sure mum never finds out what I do with you."

"Hey! You enjoy the things we do together!" Hermione said in an outraged voice, pushing open the door to the Three Broomsticks and looking for Ron and Harry.

"Of course I do, but that doesn't mean I want mum to find out about them, does it?" Ginny said with perfect reason.

"What do you not want mum to find out about?" asked a voice behind them, and the two girls spun around to see Ron and Harry grinning down at them.

"As if I would tell you," Ginny said, hugging her brother and surreptitiously tugging her shirt down to make sure it covered her new piercing. "Come on, let's go find a table."

* * *

**Next chapter, the club! And to tide you all over (because this is me and who knows how long it'll take me to update), here's an excerpt:**

**"Icy and tempting, diamonds glittered from her exposed bellybutton, and her clothes showed off every one of her attributes. Dragging his eyes and mind away from her with more difficulty than he wanted to admit, Blaise asked, 'Where are you going, and why are we not allowed to come?'**

**'We're going to a performance, and you can't come because I dread to think what rumors would be spread around if you two actually saw me sing,' Hermione said promptly, taking Ginny's arm and walking her back toward the door.**

**'And what is stopping us from simply telling Professor McGonagall that you two are going off-grounds?' Draco said, thinking quicker than Blaise.**

**The girls froze and shared a look. They turned around and Hermione said, 'What would stop you from going to her?'**

**Blaise didn't hesitate. 'We get to go with you.'**

**Again the girls shared a look, and walked the few feet to the portrait hole. Her hand on it, Hermione said, 'You can come, if you can follow us there.'"**

**Hmm... what do you think? Reviews keep me happy...(hint hint)!**


	6. Chapter 6

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! It is now 2007! Isn't that exciting? Anyway, sorry for the long wait, but here it is (and rather good, if i do say so myself).**

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Hermione stood in front of her mirror and studied her reflection carefully before nodding in satisfaction. The metal belt gave her pants a little extra flare and her emerald stud, the only bit of color other than silver and blue, drew attention to her flat, toned belly. She wore very little makeup and the little she had put on was all applied to accent her eyes. She could feel her adrenaline rising as she anticipated her performance. Checking her clock, she grabbed her stilettos and walked into the common room, making just enough noise while being "stealthy" to be sure that Draco and Blaise would come out of Draco's room to see where she was going. 

Hermione sat on the couch in front of the fire and began to put on her shoes, most of her attention on the noises from her roommate's room. Putting one foot on the ground, she smiled wickedly as she heard the door open.

She'd gotten an urge like this one only once before, and she and Ginny had ended up at the club where she was going tonight. She'd gotten drunk, gotten up on stage and sang, and the manager had offered her a job. This explained why she was heading out to a place that she would never have entered before this summer.

* * *

Blaise paused in their conversation for a moment and said, "What's that?" 

Draco cocked his head, listening, and they both heard someone descend into the common room, trying to be quiet. "That's Granger," he said. "Where is she going?"

"Let's find out," Blaise said, smiling. The two of them rolled off Draco's bed and opened the door, entering the common room quietly.

Draco's roommate was sitting on a couch with her back to them, putting on a pair of shoes. "Where are you going?" Draco asked.

"I have a performance tonight, and no, you can't come," she said, standing up and facing them.

Draco let out his breath in a barely audible hiss, and Blaise could understand him completely. She was, to put it quite simply, gorgeous, but Blaise let Draco have her with a mental pat on the back. His attention lay elsewhere...

The portrait hole opened and a breathless Ginny Weasley fell through it, red hair falling in a wave over her shoulders and obscuring her outfit. "I'm so, so sorry I'm late! Ron almost caught me!" She stood up, saw the boys, and paused before walking over to Hermione. "They're not coming, are they?" She said quietly, pulling her hair back to fall down her back.

It was Blaise's turn to hiss in shock and appreciation, his eyes traveling slowly over her body. Icy and tempting, diamonds glittered from her exposed bellybutton, and her clothes showed off every one of her attributes. Dragging his eyes and mind away from her with more difficulty than he wanted to admit, Blaise asked, "Where are you going, and why are we not allowed to come?"

"We're going to a performance, and you can't come because I dread to think what rumors would be spread around if you two actually saw me sing," Hermione said promptly, taking Ginny's arm and walking her back toward the door.

"And what is stopping us from simply telling Professor McGonagall that you two are going off-grounds?" Draco said, thinking quicker than Blaise.

The girls froze and shared a look. They turned around and Hermione said, "What would stop you from going to her?"

Blaise didn't hesitate. "We get to go with you."

Again the girls shared a look, and walked the few feet to the portrait hole. Her hand on it, Hermione said, "You can come, if you can follow us there." She smiled wickedly and they bolted through the portrait, slamming it behind them.

The boys followed them out and heard their footsteps fading to the right. Draco grabbed his arm as Blaise moved to follow. "No!" he said. "I know a faster way to get to the entrance. Come on!" He sprinted in the opposite direction than the girls.

"Where are we going?" Blaise asked as Draco cut through tapestries, ran down staircases, and slipped through passages Blaise hadn't even known were there.

"I told you!" Draco said. "We're going to beat them to the entrance hall!" Blaise kept quiet now, thanking the uncomfortableness of Hogwarts robes that had caused him to change into Muggle clothing as soon as school was over.

Panting, they reached the deserted entrance hall in record time and hid in the shadows. Soon they heard laughter and the objects of their desire came trotting up, casting glances over their shoulders.

"Do you think we lost them?" Ginny said worriedly.

Hermione laughed. "Don't worry." the girls slipped through the huge double doors, and the two young men followed them out of the grounds. Hermione stopped once they had passed the entrance and said, "You ready?"

Ginny nodded and grasped Hermione's arm. Quickly, before they apparated, Blaise grabbed Ginny's arm and Draco grabbed Hermione's, getting dragged along for the ride.

* * *

With a _crack,_ four people appeared in an alley somewhere in London. Draco let go of Hermione and crossed his arms. "Are we qualified now?" 

Blaise was a little preoccupied. When they had landed Ginny had slipped and Blaise had suddenly found the role of anchor reversed. Luckily he had quickly grabbed her around her waist and kept both of them from falling.

Ginny's awareness of the rest of the alley faded as she was suddenly struck by his hand pressing against her stomach. She could feel her bellybutton ring pressed against his arm and wondered if the sudden increase in temperature was only in her mind. Her hands were on his arms, having instinctively grabbed at anything to keep from falling, and now she became aware of how close they were. He had basically held her against his chest to keep her from falling into the dirt.

She let go of him quickly and smiled in thanks before turning to face the two other members of their group, who were almost facing off now. Hermione looked slightly angry, and from what she could see in the semidarkness Malfoy was smirking.

"You cheated," Hermione said. "You weren't supposed to catch a ride with us."

"You never specified how we were to follow you," Draco said, examining his nails. "We've won fair and square. Besides, how are you going to make us go back?"

Hermione was now looking a little scared. "I don't _want_ you to hear me sing!" She hissed.

"Then you shouldn't have let us follow you," Draco said, unperturbed.

Hermione sighed and glanced at Ginny, who shrugged. She could sympathize with Hermione, but her heart was doing a little happy dance inside of her. She was going to spend the entire evening with two of the most attractive boys in school, one of whom she was practically in love with! But she was also a little nervous. Blaise had a reputation among the female population of being more than a little aloof and mysterious -which simply added to his bad boy attitude- and he was, after all, a year older than her. What if he thought she was just a little girl, too young to be playing with boys? She shrugged mentally as they entered the club. It didn't really matter; she was going to enjoy this night no matter what.

The sound washed over them, the lights and moving bodies confusing their eyes. Ginny laughed, the sound lost in the room, and followed Hermione across the packed dance floor. She moved her body to the beat, dancing her way across the floor, as it was impossible to get across any other way. Grinning, she ran her hand across the shoulder and down the chest of a man several years older than herself, dancing close to him for the few moments they were pressed together in the crowd.

Suddenly she felt someone pull her away, and spun around to see Blaise with a scowl on his face. "Don't lose Hermione!" He shouted, still glaring at the unknown man she had been dancing with. Hope bubbled through her. He had been angry with her dancing with another man!

When she turned to look, Hermione had disappeared, but Ginny knew where she had gone and led the two boys through the crowd. They arrived at the door to the manager's office just in time to intercept Hermione as she was coming out. "He says I go on after this set!" She told them. "You guys might as well enjoy yourselves while you're here; there's at least a couple of songs left before it's my turn."

Ginny nodded, a wicked grin spread over her face for Hermione's eyes only. The incident on the dance floor had given her a foolproof way of finding out whether Blaise liked her or not. Hermione, thankfully, simply raised an eyebrow at her expression and didn't comment. "See you after you're done!" Was the only thing Ginny said before disappearing into the crowd again, this time presumably headed for the bar.

Blaise simply sighed and followed her, but Draco paused for a moment. "Luck," he said, and then disappeared after the other two. Smiling, Hermione waited for her turn on stage.

* * *

_I'm getting a little tired of the way she simply disappears,_ Blaise thought as he finally reached the bar. Looking around, he spotted the object of his annoyance leaning casually up against the counter, sipping a glass of something not easily identifiable and peering into the crowd of bodies. She barely glanced at him as he slipped up next to her. "Do you do that often?" He said casually, propping an elbow on the counter and ordering a drink from the bar girl. She winked at him as she handed him his drink, letting her hand brush against his. He grinned. 

"Do what, exactly?" Ginny asked.

"Disappear like that."

"Oh, quite often. It annoys the hell out of Hermione when she's trying to talk to me about something." Finishing her drink, she slapped the glass down and grinned at him. "And now I'm going to do it again, and go dance. See you." And before Blaise could reach out an arm to stop her, she was out of sight.

"God damn that woman!" He swore, and then stopped as he considered his words. Yes, definitely a woman, he mused. And she would be harder than the others to get into his bed. Or hers, he wasn't fussy where it happened. He grinned, faintly acknowledging Draco next to him. Yes indeed, Ginevra Weasley was going to be a challenge.

"Zabini!" Draco yelled in his ear, and Blaise focused on him. "Where's Weasley?"

Blaise shrugged and took a sip of his drink. "Don't know. She said she was going to dance, so I assume she's somewhere out there." He gestured at the packed dance floor.

The two friends stood together in silence for a while, until Blaise finished his margarita (lime flavored, his favorite) and set the glass down. "Well," he said, affecting his Slytherin drawl, "We can't let her have all the fun, now can we?"

Draco's eyes slid toward him, but his head never turned, staying focused on the dancers. "No by all means," he said, affecting the same tone, "We came here to have fun, and it's about time we rewarded all of the women out there."

Blaise laughed shortly. "We certainly should get started." Pushing away from the bar, he entered the press without a backward look, stopping somewhere in the middle.

Immediately he was surrounded by women and men, each trying to entice him toward them. Blaise grinned ferally and flicked his dark hair out of his eyes, looking around. He had noticed some of the looks and had definitely felt the hands as he had crossed the floor, but now that he could spare his attention to them he wasn't surprised to see that the men and women were about even in trying to get his attention.

Reaching out, he snaked out an arm and pulled a small woman toward him. She couldn't have been more than eighteen, was short, petite, and had fiery red hair reaching the middle of her back. She was also more than willing to join him in a dance.

_There have been people -namely me- who have described grinding as sex on hardwood,_ Blaise mused as she shimmied down his body before slowly coming back up and rubbing against him. He smirked. _Of course, the tango has also been described that way, and I doubt my mother would call the tango anything other than a 'very proper dance, suitable for a young man to perform with a young lady.' Which is about the opposite to how she feels about clubs like this._

Tilting his head back, he simply enjoyed the dance. The similarity of his dancing partner and a certain Gryffindor never occurred to him.

Suddenly he stiffened slightly, his attention caught by a girl dancing a ways away through the crowd. But as he watched, the press of bodies closed in and she was lost to view. But he knew what he had seen; Ginny Weasley, dancing with an attractive older man.

Blaise's eyebrows snapped down. _Mine!_ His mind stated possessively. _She's mine!_ Growling, he pushed his way through the crowd and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from her partner until he could no longer see him. Only then did he stop to think about what he had just done. True, he wanted to get into the youngest Weasley's pants, but why did he care if she danced with other men?

His thoughts were interrupted as Ginny yanked her arm free, glaring at him fiercely. "What the fuck was that for?" She said venomously.

Blaise shook his head. "He's way too old for you," he told her. "You don't even know who he is."

"I'll be the judge of who's too old for me, thank you very much!" She hissed angrily, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"I don't want you dancing with men like that!" Blaise said. Why the _hell_ was he getting so protective? True, she was small, and young, but he'd fucked younger girls than her before and never cared a shit about them.

"Fine!" Ginny snapped. "then if you don't like me dancing with other _men,"_ she stressed the word, "Then dance with me yourself. That's clearly the only way I'm going to get to dance."

She crossed her arms, waiting for his reply.

* * *

**Muahahaha!! A cliffie! Of sorts... Anyway, the next update might take a while, because I'm not very sure where this story is going. Review review review!!! ...please...?**


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so very, very sorry about the long silence! I won't give excuses, because I know they're worthless. But I have one major warning: MAJOR ADULT CONTENT!!! BY WHICH I MEAN GRAPHIC SEX!!! SO DON'T READ IF THAT OFFENDS YOU!!! Which it shouldn't, if you're reading mature stories. Apparently you're expecting mature themes.**

* * *

Blaise had a very surreal feeling about this whole thing. It was not possible that he and Draco, the boy he admired so much for giving up the Dark Lord, were in a crowded nightclub with the girls of their dreams. It was not possible that _his_ girl was royally pissed off at him and had just asked him to dance -after a fashion- in the same breath. 

Oh, well, fuck it. He might as well do what she asked. It's what he'd wanted all evening, after all.

Blaise pulled her small frame flush against his body. "As you wish," he murmured in her ear, and the music changed all of a sudden. Locking eyes with Ginny, Blaise began to move slowly, sensually to the beat that thrummed deep down into their bones and was completely, deeply sexual.

_Incredible…_

She was far and away the best dancer he had ever danced with, and he found himself exerting to be better, more alluring, to her eyes. And he thought he succeeded.

From across the room, Hermione smiled.

* * *

Four silent shadows slipped back into Hogwarts at three o'clock in the morning. Never speaking, they split up in the entrance hall, one of the shadows heading down and three up. Several levels later they split again, one heading off through a portrait while the other two continued to walk down the hallway together. 

Finally one of them spoke. "I'm surprised Blaise and Ginny didn't end up in the Room of Requirement together tonight."

Her companion chuckled. "Yes, I'm rather surprised about that myself. Especially the way they were dancing earlier."

"Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn," the girl said as they stopped in front of a portrait, and it swung open to admit them.

"What does that mean?" Draco asked as they entered their common room and the lamps flickered on.

"The Red Dragon Will Rise Again," replied Hermione. "It's a reference to Merlin, and the time before King Arthur was born."

"How the hell did you learn Gaelic?" He asked, confused and admiring. "Very few people speak it."

Hermione turned and smiled at him. "Irish grandparents come in handy." She stepped up to him and placed a delicate hand on his chest. "But I'd rather discuss something else," she breathed into his ear, and tugged on the lobe gently with her teeth.

Her actions sent a spear of heat directly to his groin. Draco drew back slightly and looked into her eyes. "You're drunk," he concluded.

Hermione laughed. "Only slightly." Her hands began to slide up around his neck. "And not enough to interfere with my judgment." She scraped her teeth along his collarbone, and he shivered. "Besides, you are too. And you can't deny that you've been thinking about this for a very long time."

Draco looked down at the beautiful, pliant woman practically offering herself up to him, and felt his resistance -never high to begin with- begin to crumble. "True," he agreed, right before sealing his lips to hers.

She opened her mouth immediately and sucked his tongue into her mouth, twining it with hers and deepening the kiss aggressively. Draco smiled; he'd never expected her to let him do all the work. Although he did begin angling them toward his door, trying to get them to a bed before they got completely overwhelmed.

They never made it. Hermione tugged off his shirt demandingly as the two of them landed on the couch, choosing it as a much more desirable spot than a faraway bed. She immediately began exploring his chest with her hands, fascinated by the play of the muscles beneath the skin as he breathed heavily in and out. Following her example, Draco pulled off her dark-blue-and-silver long-sleeved shirt and tossed it aside, hands immediately going to her bra to unhook it. All of a sudden he paused, looking up at her in question.

"Draco," Hermione panted, "if you stop now I will make _sure _that there will be no more Malfoy heirs!"

He chuckled, the deep sound rumbling through his chest and into her, and unhooked her bra in one movement and threw it on the floor. Then he sat back and stared at her, unmoving, his eyes roving over her hungrily. His gaze made her a bit uncomfortable, and she moved as if to cover herself up. Draco caught her hands and held them away from her body. "Beautiful," he breathed, leaning down and slowly kissing his way from her collarbone down her chest to one of her full breasts, and dragging his tongue slowly over it.

Hermione arched her back, her breath coming in a surprised gasp. She had never thought that Draco would be such a…thoughtful lover. His cold, mysterious demeanor never gave the impression that he would be anything other than a lover who satisfied his own needs and didn't care about his partner's. Of course, she knew better, from their encounter earlier that week, but…still. She hadn't expected her own needs met so thoroughly.

Oh, it wasn't slow and passionate and loving. It was hard and needy and exactly what they were both looking for. They were naked within a minute and Draco, watching her spread her legs for him, thrust inside her immediately, causing her to arch her back with a delighted moan. He set a fast, hard pace, and she met it, wrapping her arms around his neck and raising her hips to meet his at every thrust.

Draco lowered his head and took one of her hard nipples into his mouth, cupping the breast in his hand. Then he let it go and slid his hand down her stomach, playing with her diamond-studded bellybutton before sliding it even lower, into her slick folds. Seemingly without effort he found and rubbed her clitoris, getting a loud moan and even more fervent thrusting from Hermione.

"Come for me," he growled out, silver eyes locking with brown as Hermione gasped and writhed beneath him, approaching her climax.

Hermione clenched down on him, drawing a groan from deep within his chest. "Not without you," she said, and began fighting to keep his dick within her every time he thrust, clenching him tightly with her hot folds. They approached climax together, but Draco was determined to win. He sped up his hand on her clitoris and was rewarded by the beginnings of her completion. Finally she came, writhing, with a loud moan that might have included Draco's name in it. She clenched tighter than ever around him, and it broke his own self-control, following her over the edge.

It was a long while before either of them felt like moving. Draco had refrained from falling on top of Hermione, mindful of squashing her, and the two of them lay there, breathing harshly in sync. Finally Draco rolled to the side and put his back against the back of the couch, pulled Hermione against him, and murmured a quiet cleaning spell. A flick of his hand summoned a blanket to cover them, and Hermione sighed and snuggled up against him as he put out the lamps. Draco didn't have the energy or inclination to remove himself from her relaxed body, so they fell asleep together, lit only by the fire.

* * *

Hermione sighed and shifted, burrowing deeper into Draco's arms as the sun threatened to encroach upon her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and, drawing back slightly, observed her bed-partner as he slept. With his cold grey eyes covered by his long, pale eyelashes and his face relaxed in sleep, he looked even more breathtaking than normal. 

_Damn, I've fallen hard…_ But the thought didn't scare her as much as she thought it would. She shifted slightly to get off a sleeping arm, and felt something inside her. With a wicked grin, she realized that Draco had fallen asleep inside her, and that he was sporting a morning erection. Well, this opened an opportunity for fun, yes indeed.

Very carefully, Hermione rolled on top of Draco and began to move, biting her lip as she began to feel the beginnings of arousal in her own body. Strong hands grasped her hips, and she looked down to see amused grey eyes staring up at her.

"What a wonderful way to wake up," Draco commented, before no more words were exchanged for several minutes.

Hermione collapsed on top of him, humming contentedly as the last aftershocks of her orgasm tingled through her system. It was Saturday; she was perfectly content to lie here and let Draco make swirling patterns on her back.

"Fuck, I completely forgot," Draco said suddenly, his hand stilling on her back. "Last night wasn't your first time, was it?"

Hermione shook her head lazily. "No. Victor and I did it a couple times, but even if it had been my first time it wouldn't have hurt. I broke my hymen when I was eleven, falling off a broomstick."

"Oh." The hand resumed making circles. "Well, that's good." There as tinge of something else in his tone.

Hermione propped her chin on his chest, smiling up at his face. "You're not jealous, are you, that Victor took my virginity before you could?"

"Of course not. That's absolutely ridiculous."

Hermione laughed and got off the couch, letting Draco's cock slide out of her with a sigh. "Come on. Breakfast will be over before we get there if we don't hurry."

* * *

**Sooo... there will probably be only one more chapter after this one. This has been fun to write, but I'm sort of ready for it to be over. I hope you all enjoyed the lovely "alone time" Draco and Hermione got together, and look for the last chapter within the week!**


	8. Chapter 8

The next few months were filled with research, studying, and sex. Hermione and Draco never talked about their relationship to each other. It never intruded on their research of the Horcruxes, and it never came to light in front of their friends. Ginny had come to Hermione a week after their trip out of the school, grinning like a cat who'd gotten into the cream, and confessed that she and Blaise had had sex and were now dating. She assured Hermione that she wouldn't fall too hard for him, but Hermione suspected that it was too late for that - Ginny seemed to be genuinely smitten for the admittedly easy Slytherin.

Late at night, lying in either her or Draco's bed with Draco sleeping beside her, Hermione pondered her relationship with the blond Slytherin. The softly breathing boy next to her had a sensitive side to him that he never let anyone see - she'd only caught glimpses of it herself, enough to know that it was there and that she could definitely fall in love with it.

And that scared her. It scared her on a deep, primal level that terrified her in and of itself.

She had no idea how Draco felt. He didn't talk about his feelings and kept everything behind a mask. But the way he treated her, with more respect and gentleness, led her to hope that he might feel something similar.

* * *

"Uggh…" Hermione moaned, resting her head on the toilet rim. Her heaving stomach subsided with a grumble, and she hoped to god it wouldn't decide to declare another rebellion.

The door opened and closed, and gentle hands smoothed her hair away from her face. "You've been sick for a week. Don't you think you should go see Madame Pomfrey?"

Hermione turned her head and smiled weakly up at Draco. "Yeah, okay. I'll go after morning classes." She sighed. "I hate being sick."

Draco helped her up and flushed the toilet, then left her to brush her teeth and get ready for school. Hermione sighed and stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes had bags under them, and she looked awful. She'd had the flu for a week now, with dizzy spells and vomiting and generally feeling shitty. She'd refused to go to Madame Pomfrey when Draco first suggested it, thinking her body could fight it off alone, but now she was ready to get some help.

She sighed, and slowly began getting ready for her day.

Three hours later she hurried towards the hospital wing, feeling sick - but she refused to throw up until she'd seen Madame Pomfrey and gotten something for her illness. Opening the doors, Hermione scanned the ward for the Mediwitch but couldn't see her, so she crossed to her office and knocked.

"Madame Pomfrey?" She stuck her head in the door.

"Yes, dear, how can I help you?" The old witch replied, looking up from paperwork.

"I've been ill for the past week. I've been vomiting and having dizzy spells, and generally feeling sick and tired."

"Well, let's see what we can do." Madame Pomfrey bustled out of her office and directed the Head Girl to sit on a bed, before running some scans. She blinked in astonishment.

"Well, dear, you're not sick in the conventional sense."

* * *

Hermione headed up to the Headmaster's office in a daze, clutching two pieces of paper. One gave her permission to be out of class, and the other explained the situation to the Headmaster. Her dazed state carried her all the way into Dumbledore's office and through the handing of the two papers to the old man. She only snapped out of it when he asked her if she was all right.

"Hmm?" She focused on him. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Madame Pomfrey gave me something for the morning sickness. And the baby won't be born until after I graduate, anyway."

"And what about the father?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled concernedly at her.

Hermione shrugged. "I'll tell him, but if he doesn't want to help then I'll just raise the baby on my own. I'm perfectly capable of doing it on my own."

"I'm sure you are." Dumbledore smiled at her. "I would also recommend telling Misters Potter and Weasley. No one said that simply because the father doesn't want to help, that means that no one else will."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster."

* * *

She avoided Draco successfully for three days, before he cornered her and whisked her off to his room to talk. She refused to tell him, and asked that he just make her forget for a little while.

He succeeded in that, and afterward they lay tangled together among the hot sheets and let their breath slow down.

"So when are you going to tell me?" He murmured, absently drawing circles on her back.

Hermione was silent for a time, and then propped herself up on her elbows, looking him in the eyes. "Draco, will you marry me?"

"_What_?!" He sat up too, shock on his face. "Why?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Because I think the kid would like it better if his father was around while he was growing up."

Draco froze, eyes wide. Hermione looked down at the bedsheets, her hands fidgeting nervously. Now that she had told him it was all up in the air. It all depended on what he would say next.

"You're pregnant?" He whispered. Hermione nodded.

"About a month along."

Silence again. Finally a pale hand rose and rested on her flat stomach gently. Hermione looked up at his face and saw awe expressed in his look. "Wow," he breathed. He removed his hand and ran it through his hair. "I…I don't know what to say. Can I think about it?"

Hermione nodded and began to stand up. A hand snaked around her waist. "Where are you going?" Draco asked, confused.

Hermione turned. "Back to my own bed."

He tugged, and she fell back into him. "Honey, you're carrying my child. You're gonna have to get used to having me around, because I'm not going anywhere. Just…just don't expect me to proclaim my undying love just yet, okay?" His silver eyes begged her to understand.

Hermione smiled and kissed him. "That's fine with me, because you can't expect me to proclaim that either."

* * *

Two weeks later, when Draco saw Hermione getting off the train from Christmas break, he handed her a sapphire ring.

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Ophi, hold still!" Hermione said, trying to pull a sweater over the wriggling four-year-old's head. "We're not leaving until you have a sweater on, so you might as well help the process out a little bit!"

Giggles alerted her to the approach of her other offspring, along with her husband. A second later Draco entered the room carrying the mirror image of the squirming child in Hermione's lap.

"C'mon, Ophi, help mama!" Shouted Adara, bouncing in Draco's arms. "I'm all ready to go, an' the sooner you get dressed, the sooner we can see Uncle Blaise an' Aunt Ginny an' the new baby!"

Ophiuchus, the sweater finally on, glared at his twin sister. "Don' _care_ about no dumb baby," he mumbled. "I jus' wanna see Uncle Fred an' Uncle George."

Draco and Hermione exchanged looks. "I suppose it's time for the annual talk with Fred and George, then, isn't it?" Hermione sighed. "All right, Ophi, go get your shoes on and then we can go."

Five minutes later the small family exited the house and apparated away.

* * *

**Wow... I can't believe it's over. Well, I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but I decided to post it anyway because I promised a chapter last week and I didn't get it up. So there you go! The last enstallment in New Looks, New Attitudes! Thank you all of my wonderful readers, and I hope you read my other stories as well!**

**Ja ne!**

**Lara**


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